c. 1991-Today:
The War on Terror
Essential Questions
- What role did the US take on in global politics and economics following the Cold War?
- What was the impact of Bush's domestic agenda and his response to the terrorist attack against the US?
- Who was responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, what damage was caused, and how did the United States respond?
- Why did the United States invade Iraq in 2003?
- What happened at Abu Ghraib prison? How did the rest of the world react?
- What caused the emergence of the Islamic State?
Learning Objectives
You will learn:
- How and why the United States led a United Nations coalition of forces in the Persian Gulf War and how the war’s outcome affected American foreign policy in the Middle East
- How the threat of terrorism at home impacted American culture during the late 20th and early 21st centuries
- To what extent global decisions, actions, and alliances impacted American foreign policy in the late 20th century and affected the US position in the conflicts of the 21st century
- How the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States led to American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and how involvement in those wars affected international relations and domestic American politics and society
- How and why the administration of George W. Bush initiated preemptive military action in place of containment and deterrence
- How and to what extent United States foreign policy has been guided by international human rights and the advancement of democracy since World War I
- How and why student and youth led movements formed to protest United States involvement in the Iraq War and to what extent the movements impacted the nation’s politics and war efforts
- How American political leaders used foreign aggression as opportunities to prepare for and request war
- How the United States government used propaganda to appeal to American patriotism and sell the nation’s war efforts
- How the federal government increased its levels of intelligence services and operations through the War on Terrorism
The War on Terror
President Bush addresses rescue workers at Ground Zero. 2001.
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Ground Zero six days after the September 11th attacks.
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Despite George W. Bush’s ill-conceived photo op under a Mission Accomplished banner in May 2003, combat operations in Iraq continued for years.
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PBS Frontline: American Insurrection In the aftermath of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, FRONTLINE, ProPublica and Berkeley Journalism’s Investigative Reporting Program team up to examine how far-right extremist groups have evolved in the wake of the deadly 2017 Charlottesville rally — and the threat they pose today.
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Assignments and Readings
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Primary Sources
9/11 Commission Report, “Reflecting On A Generational Challenge” (2004)
On July 22, 2004, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States—or, the 9/11 Commission—delivered a 500-plus-page report that investigated the origins of the 9/11 attacks and America’s response and offered policy prescriptions for a post-9/11 world.
George W. Bush on the Post-9/11 World (2002)
In his 2002 State of the Union Address, George W. Bush proclaimed that the attacks of September 11 signaled a new, dangerous world that demanded American interventions. Bush identified an “Axis of Evil” and provided a justification for a broad “war on terror.”
Ground Zero (2001)
A worker stands in front of rubble from the World Trade Center at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan several weeks after the September 11 attacks.
On July 22, 2004, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States—or, the 9/11 Commission—delivered a 500-plus-page report that investigated the origins of the 9/11 attacks and America’s response and offered policy prescriptions for a post-9/11 world.
George W. Bush on the Post-9/11 World (2002)
In his 2002 State of the Union Address, George W. Bush proclaimed that the attacks of September 11 signaled a new, dangerous world that demanded American interventions. Bush identified an “Axis of Evil” and provided a justification for a broad “war on terror.”
Ground Zero (2001)
A worker stands in front of rubble from the World Trade Center at Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan several weeks after the September 11 attacks.
Slideshows
Videos
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Digital History Textbook
The 21st Century
This chapter examines the disputed election of 2000; the presidency of George W. Bush; and the American responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.
The Disputed Election of 2000
The Presidency of George W. Bush
September 11, 2001
This chapter examines the disputed election of 2000; the presidency of George W. Bush; and the American responses to the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.
The Disputed Election of 2000
The Presidency of George W. Bush
September 11, 2001